There are many reasons people are drawn to the nail business. For some, it’s a passion for creativity. Others are driven by a desire to be self-employed. For Alexandra Nanette, owner of Nails By Nanette in Orlando, Florida, it was a little bit of both.
“The moment I realized that I wanted to be in the nail business was after I got laid off from my bartending job,” she says. “I didn’t really want to do it anymore and I felt kind of stuck.” That’s when inspiration struck. “I’ve always loved nails,” says Nanette, “and I remembered the passion that I had for it. It just clicked that that was what I should be doing.”
Nanette’s decision to follow her passion paid off. Today, her nail business is booming and her nail art has made her a bona fide influencer on Instagram. Learn how she makes running a one-woman nail business look as effortless as her beautiful nail designs.
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It allows me to be creative. I’m a very artistic person, so being able to express that on a set of nails is really fun. And I love having my clients walk out really loving their nails.
For me, you go to a nail technician to get a fill, make your nails look presentable, and that’s pretty much it. With nail artists, you come in wanting art. You come in wanting something different. We offer more artistic, modern types of designs.
Because I prefer working for myself. I run the business how I want to run the business. I make my own hours and set my own prices.
It also lets me give a more personal experience for my clients, which they love. We’re kind of like our client's best friends while they’re getting their nails done. They feel more comfortable sharing personal things here rather than in a big salon in front of a bunch of people.
Working by myself in a private suite, I don’t have a receptionist. It became very difficult for me trying to schedule appointments. Clients would message me all day, every day while I was working with other clients. Having to do that back-and-forth was difficult for me, and frustrating for my clients.
I started using Booksy. Allowing my clients to book 24/7 has definitely increased my appointments. While I’m sleeping, my {clients} are probably up booking, which is super awesome. They don’t have to call and ask me what my availability is. They have it all on Booksy.
I have. I was using another scheduling app prior to Booksy because I came from a salon that was using it.
I saw that a lot of barbers here in Orlando were using Booksy on their Instagram pages. Seeing that the book now button lead straight to their Booksy appointment calendar looked amazing to me. Because I use Instagram to market my nail business, I knew it would be great if my followers could book me directly from my Instagram.
Once I started using Booksy, it doubled my business. Between getting new clients from Instagram and allowing my existing clients to book on their own time has literally doubled my bookings.
It’s also a lot easier to use for both me and my clients. But again, using Booksy has doubled my bookings, which was the biggest difference from using the other booking app.
Because it connects you with the entire world. Everyone is on social media, especially Instagram. Back in the day, nail artists used to have portfolios. You would go into the salon and they would have a book of all of their pictures. Now, Instagram is your portfolio. With the book now button on my Instagram, people just click the link and it goes straight to my schedule on Booksy. It creates new clients automatically.
If you want to pursue your passion in the nail industry, don’t give up. Sometimes we’re hard on ourselves because we compare ourselves to other people. Practice makes perfect, so just try to focus on perfecting your craft.
I think people should choose me as their nail artist because I’m very passionate about what I do. I will definitely give you exactly what you are looking for and I promise that when you leave my chair, you’ll love your nails.
If you’re in the Orlando area and want to book an appointment with Nanette, just click here.
